"It's nothing, thanks," you tell the official, before withdrawing to the office and resuming your place next to Cordelia. You spend the next twenty minutes or so listening to Briar talk about the Goddesses, offering up a few parables from the various Hyrulean faiths - the sort of simple tales told to children to encourage good behavior and interest in the deities and the religion that surrounded them. A couple of the short stories stir a faintly nostalgic sense of recognition within you, particularly the one about the Bandit and the Merchant, which Briar tells twice. In the Hylian version, the Merchant is a humble soul who is able to use his wits and his understanding of the laws of men and nature - the works of Nayru - to repeatedly save a foolish desert thief who keeps getting into cartoonishly ludicrous life-threatening situations while trying to rob him, ultimately leading to her reforming and becoming an honest citizen of the realm. In the Gerudo version, the Merchant is a soft, city-bred slug whose total lack of basic survival skills repeatedly leads him into the jaws of improbable death, from which the Bandit snatches him over and over again - showing the power and determination that honor Din - taking a fine reward each time, until the Merchant owes her his entire caravan.

Ganondorf was familiar with the Gerudo version of the story from his own childhood, and you recognized it from there. Hearing the Hylian version provides an interesting counterpoint, and makes you wonder just who or what the story might have been based on - and also if there were other forms, depicting the other races' views on the subject. The Zora form, if it existed, probably pointed out how both humans were utterly mad: the Merchant for shipping his goods through the desert, rather than by a sensible river route; and the Bandit for living in the dusty wasteland. Aside from their entertainment value, Briar's tales do offer some insights into the natures of the Goddesses that even you hadn't considered before.

Gained Hyrulean Theology F

Briar's storytelling comes to a close when Lu-sensei returns, informing you that he's presented your account of the incident with the shadow-creature to the officials, they've accepted it, and you're free to go about your business. Since Ambrose is apparently "helping" the collection of ki-adepts and ordinary humans track down the source of the otherworldly creature, Altria is at loose ends for the time being; she accepts an offer to join you in watching the remainder of the Under Fourteens Division Finals.

As it happens, when you reach the arena, you find that the second round has just started. Judging by the leaderboard, this division started out with a full thirty-two finalists, and the hundred-odd minutes since lunch were just enough time to get through the opening ceremonies, the sixteen initial bouts, and the obligatory fifteen-minute inter-round break. Looking around, you can find no seats left down in front, and few even in the middle of the stands; this is something of a concern for you, since your desire to try and learn new techniques from the competitors won't work so well if you're too far away to see clearly. On the other hand, it's awfully crowded and noisy out there; maybe a seat towards the back is just what the doctor ordered? It would certainly make conversation easier, and Cordelia might prefer it to having the press of the crowd on her already tweaked nerves.